TAVARES, FL - Lake County (Fla.) Board of County Commissioners approved Jan. 4 a fleet facility construction project that will centralize the County's three fleet services facilities. An existing 30,000 sq. ft. County-owned building will house a fleet operations center that will maintain public safety, mosquito-control, and general County fleet vehicles.

The building will have 19 repair bays, storage areas, a small engine repair area, and office space to house fleet administrative staff members. The project is expected to cost $356,589.

"The design phase is currently being negotiated or is underway, and the estimated completion time will be six months," Kelly LaFollette, information outreach director for the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, stated in an e-mail. "During construction, fleet operations will continue to function at the [existing fleet facility], until such time as their new facility is complete. The only impact of fleet services will occur when the office staff is relocating to their new facility."

Commissioners also voted to relocate the County's Public Transportation Division to one of the existing fleet facility to be vacated. The division operates the County's fixed bus route and paratransit bus service. The site will be demolished and modified for office space, with construction partly funded by grants from the Federal Transportation Authority and American Recovery and Reinvestment Acts. It will also be used for overnight bus storage.